Smash Mouth birthday card. Do you write a song for commercial reasons or artistic reasons?

Getting the attention of a record label. Its in the numbers.

In an article in the New Yorker, Sasha Frere-Jones, focused some attention on how “independent” Arcade Fire actually is. Frere-Jones tells us that Arcade Fire owns its master recordings, but those recordings are licensed to Merge Records for the many functions a band cannot do on its own. The band has a manager, too, as [...]

This is a good article about how to find funding through your fans.  Here is an excerpt.  If you want to read more, go here. Emerging musicians are in an eternal struggle against two evils: funding projects and growing a fanbase. In the past, musicians have funded their own albums, and have used it as [...]

You must treat your band like a business if you are going to succeed at DIY.

SXSW 2011 will mark the 25th edition of an event that draws over 30,000 creative professionals from around the world to Austin each March. Born in a time before the web, email, or smart phones, SXSW history bridges the analog and digital eras. As wireless communication has connected people with the entire planet from their [...]

Many bands are using Facebook today to communicate with their fans and build a following.  Some bands use Facebook to announce and invite fans to their shows and others conduct contests to attract “fans.” How are you using Facebook to promote your band and how is it working? Here are a couple of interesting posts [...]

George Howard at Artists House Music wrote an article called Coin a Phrase: The Leveling in which he explains the three technological barriers that have been broken to allow indie artists thrive without the need for a record label. Pro Tools. No longer did an artist need to collateralize their creativity in exchange for funds [...]

As reported in Rolling Stone, the L.A. power-pop foursome OK Go scored another big hit with its video “This Too Shall Pass.”  As of March 1st, the video drew 6.4 million views on YouTube in a week.  The six-figure production costs were arranged by the band and underwritten by State Farm Insurance Company.  Although sales [...]

Art suffers the moment other people start paying for it.  The more you need the money, the more people will tell you what to do.  The less control you will have.  The more bullshit you will have to swallow.  The less joy it will bring.  Know this and plan accordingly.  Hugh MacLeod from Ignore Everybody. [...]

If you have finally realized that you and your band are in the music business, this is a good time to start thinking about hiring a lawyer to help you manage some of the business and legal aspects of your music business.  So, just what are the aspects of your music business that you should [...]